Mike Gundy says Big 12 "Lucky" to have Coach Prime, but can't escape bad DUI comments

Oklahoma State's longtime football coach should've thought twice about what he said at Big 12 Media Days

Mike Gundy talks about Ollie Gordan's DUI and Coach Prime /

The Colorado Buffaloes will cap off the 2024 season with a highly-anticipated home finale against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Black Friday, November 29. The Cowboys, under the leadership of head coach Mike Gundy since 2005, have established themselves as a contender in college football. While Gundy has always been outspoken, he expressed excitement about the return of Colorado and its head coach, Deion Sanders, at the start of Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas on Tuesday. 

Gundy acknowledges the impact Sanders and the Buffaloes have on the conference, noting that Sanders brings increased attention, fans, and viewership to the conference. "I think that we're lucky in our league that (Sanders) is with us because he brings more people, notoriety, and viewers to the Big 12 Conference," Gundy told BuffsBeat reporter Jason Jones in the main press conference. He emphasized the importance of viewership for the conference's success, highlighting that having high-profile figures like Sanders is beneficial for everyone involved.

The matchup between Colorado and Oklahoma State is expected to be a thrilling conclusion to the regular season. Gundy is particularly looking forward to the competition, expressing his enthusiasm for having Colorado back in the Big 12 and the opportunity to face off against Sanders. "It'll be fun to have him in our league. It's fun for me to have Colorado back in our league and to be able to compete against him. I can only imagine what his competitive level is, so that'll be fun," Gundy said.

The Buffaloes and Cowboys are expected to be the closest rivals and many are excited to see how they will perform in this exciting showdown. But not everyone held the same level of enthusiasm about Gundy's tone deaf defense of Ollie Gordon II's recent DUI arrest. He was asked about the incident and clearly didn't hold back in his response. 

How to watch, stream Big 12 Football Media Days in Las Vegas

Gundy told ESPN that Gordon blew a 0.10 BrAC, which is narrowly over the 0.08 legal limit. After looking up the metric, which he claimed could be "two or three beers," Gundy said that he easily could have been guilty of that a "thousand times" and was lucky nothing happened to him. 

"One thing that I can say in Year 20 as a head coach that I probably wouldn't say in Year 2 is, everyone needs to look in the mirror and think, have I done that and not gotten caught?" Gundy said. "Have I had two or three beers and drove a car? Because two or three beers can put you over the legal limit. People need to put some thought into that and not throw stones through glass windows. Not that it's right, and I want him to understand the seriousness as a parent, and I think he did."

After receiving criticism for his remarks, Gundy took to Twitter to clarify his statement.
"My intended point today at Big 12 media days was that we are all guilty of making bad decisions," Gundy wrote. "It was not a reference to something specific."

While Gordon could face internal penalties, Gundy said he views the matter as settled.

"I've been with Ollie a considerable number of times and listened to him," Gundy said. "He was remorseful and knew how serious it could have been. That allowed me to make a decision. I have to make a decision and there's a lot of people involved in this decision, not just him. I wanted it to be over with today, other than what he has to deal with from a legal standpoint. But for our team and me, it's over today and we try to regroup heading forward." 

BuffsBeat reporter Kris Miller caught up with Gordon for a one-on-one interview in Las Vegas. The Cowboys rusher and Heisman hopeful wants to leave OSU by chasing Barry Sanders. "I want to be known as one of the best backs to ever come through Stillwater," Gordon told Miller.    

The Buffs and Cowboys will resume a conference rivalry for the first time in 15 years, as the two last played as conference opponents in 2009.  CU leads the all-time series 26-20-1 and 13-8 in Boulder.  The two also met in the 2016 Alamo Bowl, with Oklahoma State notching a 38-8 win.